>Can anyone tell me the procedure for submitting new merit badge ideas to

>the BSA National Council?

Just send a letter with the description of the badge and your suggestions

regarding requirements and the reasons why you feel there should be such a

badge to T.J. Van Houten at the National Office.

I should warn you, however, that he receives hundreds of suggestions each

year. He has a ring book with all the suggested MB subjects that have been

rejected. The appropriate committee reviews all of the suggestions every 2

years in preparation for the release of the new Requirements book.

The odds are that they have already received your suggestion, whatever it

is. When I was at the advancement seminar at Philmont in 1990 the entire

class was hard pressed to come up with a suggestion that he had not already

heard. I believe that Collections might have come out of that particular

seminar.

Good luck and keep us posted.

--

Bruce E. Cobern

Adv Ch, Founders District, Queens Council, NY

Thanks to Bruce Cobern for sharing this information with the Scouting community.

You can get in touch with the national office advancement committee in Texas at the following address:

Boy Scouts of America

National Advancement Committee

1325 West Walnut Hill Lane

P.O Box 152079

Irving, TX 75015-2079

However, before you write to them, please consider the following...

If you really want the National Advancement Committee to take notice of your idea, you should document the idea and do some background research. This could include:

Contacting some professionals in the field or related fields.

Putting together some basic ideas about possible requirements.

Using your resources for support material such as your local library, university, or MeritBadge.net.

Many thoughts and ideas have been expressed at MeritBadge.net about ideas for new merit badges. Don't go to all the trouble of reinventing the wheel! See what they're talking about in the forums before submitting your ideas to the national office.

Finally, don't expect overnight success. Like all bureaucracies, everything in Scouting has to "go through processing." If you know of other folks interested in your subject, get them to write letters in support of it as well.